A World Without You
by Emily Sone
Summary: A world without Zidane through the eyes of the rest of the team. Main Focus is Vivi & Eiko. Part 1 of 3
1. Chapter 1

Ok, I've been planning this story in my head for about a month, and after the wonderful person that is Guardian1 gave me permission to use an idea of hers, decided to write this story. Enjoy, and reviews will be rewarded with virtual cookies and pies!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX, its characters, or anything that appeared in the game. I do own this story line, and some of the character descriptions. Descriptions borrowed will be done with permission, and credit will be give where credit is due.

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Prologue

_We expected you to come back. You should have. You needed to, look at what you left, look at what's waiting here for you. All of us are waiting for you._ -Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol. 

Her tutors thought it was important for her to keep a diary. She thought Garnet was right in hating writing. Until she realized that it was a perfect way for her to vent. They never read her entries, unless she gave them permission. They would simply scan the pages, making sure that she had entries at least once a week. She leaned back with a smile as she realized her good fortune. Though she had protested school at first, once Dagger, as she still sometimes called her, had pleaded with that look in her eyes, she hadn't had the heart to say no. It wasn't at all as bad as she had expected it to be, now that she thought back on it. Sure, it was a pain to spend her days inside the dusty library, which was where her tutors chose to have her lessons when on the way down from her room she could see out the window into the clear blue skies; when she could see the other children playing in the streets. But she couldn't help loving the stories now opened to her in the world created by books. She had also found that Vivi was right about math. Once you understood the concepts, it was fairly easy. Though she found reading and writing came easier to her, she didn't doubt that it was simply because numbers didn't open worlds of wonder and fantasy to her like the books in the library did. She wanted to visit Madain Sari soon, since her moogles must be missing her terribly by this time. Promising herself that she would go to visit them soon, Eiko Carol skipped happily downstairs with these thoughts in her head, as she headed to her afternoon lessons.

* * *

_I want to go back before they're all gone. It wouldn't be fair of me to not keep my promise, besides, they are waiting for me. Just like we waited for him, though he never came. I don't want to disappoint them like that. It isn't fair._ -Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier. 

Thankful as he was to no longer be constantly tripping and falling, he found himself missing the old days. The days when a blonde boy with a tail had led them all together, like a family. The day where he had met Puck, whom he later learned was the king of Burmecia. That was the same day he had met him, as well as the day the adventure had started for all of them. He sighed inwardly, looking up from the book he was supposed to be studying from to the clock in the library. Eiko was late again, but it hardly mattered that she was. They both spent long hours down here, studying outside of class, their tutors didn't doubt their devotedness to their lessons, and were willing to overlook tardiness, though they did try to promote punctuality by offering them small prizes when they were on time. Math had come easiest to him, literature to her. Whenever one of them had a problem, they tried to help the other. The kind old men, who had tutored Garnet when she was a child, smiled warmly whenever this happened, as they knew that one learned better when teaching. Though he was eight, and Eiko six, they had lessons together, as they shared the same amount of schooling- what their grandfathers had taught them. Smiling slightly to his book as he tried to memorize another mathematical formula, he couldn't help but allow his mind to wonder to old days, before he had known there were others like him, other black mages. Part of him still felt a twinge of slight guilt that he hadn't yet visited black mage village. He knew that the people of Alexandria would always look at him like that, but he couldn't blame them. That night had hit them heavily, but they still accepted him- even if they refused to believe that the others were good, as he was the only good one in their eyes. He had to go back soon, they were waiting for him. He set the book down and continued his lessons, wondering how his brothers and the gnomes were getting along.

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_I'm waiting for you. Why haven't you returned yet? As a queen, and as myself, I wait for you to return. How long will you keep me waiting, Zidane? Please come back, I need you… Alexandria needs you, for when you return, I will make you my king… Please Zidane, come back… come home._ -Entry from Royal Diary of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17 

She continued to gaze out her window, waiting for her maid to finish brushing her hair so she could rest. Another day had passed, and still no word of him. No sign of him. Nothing. Resisting the urge to bite her lip, she instead sighed. _Waiting was never one of my strengths…Oh Zidane, will you not return to me tonight?_ Her maid watched her carefully, knowing well why her queen had such a look of sadness on her face, and also knowing words would do her no good. As she helped her queen into her nightclothes and exited quietly, she wondered how long it would be before they were all graced with the gentle smile of the young ruler of Alexandria. Garnet sighed softly into her pillow. Reconstructing and rebuilding the world broken by Kuja was a long task, and she was nearly overwhelmed just by rebuilding her kingdom and ruling it at the same time. Being queen was all she had expected, while at the same time somehow less and more. Closing her eyes slowly, she prayed silently that somehow Zidane could be alive. Garnet slept a deep sleep, neither dreaming nor waking once until dawn.

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_Bakes a cake for Guardian1_ -Pies and cookies for all who review! 

Update: 8/31/07- Thanks to Yuja (a.k.a. Chowder, a.k.a Catz) For editing my spelling errors, and for being my beta reader. (She also recieves cake)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer-see prologue

I apologize in advance for the slow updates that will come after this chapter, but as tomorrow is the second day of school and I need to do very well this year, I won't have much time to work in this, though I would love to…I'll try to write more on weekends, whenever my favorite voice, Luce, decides to whisper the details of this story into my mind…again, cookies for all who review, and pie for those who hate cookies. 3

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Movement

"_And may your memory return to you, finding peace in the afterlife-"_ fragment of speech made by Freya Crescent at the funeral of Sir Fratley.

Two weeks after Zidane had vanished, two weeks after returning. Two weeks filled with lies and false hope, two weeks thinking that maybe, just maybe things might end up going back to normal. The fact that Zidane hadn't returned should have made it obvious that things were not going to end well, and she knew that she should have known this. A sign that obvious had been staring at her, and yet she had ignored it, wanting to believe in him, wanting to believe in herself, wanting to believe in happy endings. _To be forgotten is worse then death…but is death caused by not remembering not the same?_ Two weeks after their reunion, two weeks after letting Zidane go after Kuja, Sir Fratley had taken his life. His note had been an apology to both her and king Puck. To her it had been for not being able to remember. To their king, for not being able to serve him any longer. Puck was now occupying a majority of her tie by having her fill in for the duties normally attended by the last Sir Fratley. Though she was thankful to him for occupying her mind with work, she couldn't help but feel resentful, for every time she did one of _his _tasks, her heart was filled with the dull ache made by the echoes in her mind, the knowledge that she was doing something _he _should be doing, only because he was no longer here. However, the show must go on. Freya prepared herself mentally as she walked toward the domain of her king, reading herself for an afternoon of being his advisor.

* * *

"_What, you mean I have to have something interesting to say? Pip down and shut up, you noisy little punk, I'm trying to have a drink"_ -Amarant Coral, shouting at a paper boy in a bar.

After a fifth drink, he still regretted agreeing to sign those damn papers. _Why the hell should _I_, of all people, be the legal guardian of those two little brats?_ He stared expectantly at the bottom of the empty tankard, as if half expecting it to tell him the answers to his questions. As an inanimate object, it did nothing of the sort, though he had hardly expected it to really tell him. One hand touched the letter in his pack absent mindedly, mentally re-reading the letter that Dagger-no, Queen Garnet, had sent him, asking if he would escort the two youngest members of their group to their old homes during their break from school. Sighing, he got up and walked away from the bar, tossing some gil on the counter. Amarant Coral headed back to his room at the inn, knowing he would need one good night's sleep before starting for Alexandria.

* * *

"_What you mean we no eat food?! We only cooks it? Waste of time!" _-startled cry of Quina Quen, after learning what his/her job was.

To say that s/he was unhappy was a severe understatement. S/he was miserable, why had s/he agreed to such a miserable thing in the first place? S/he had no idea that working in the kitchen didn't mean cooking so that s/he could eat, but so that _others _could eat. _Waste of time…others no appreciate as much as I do this wonderful food…_ However, s/he could not disobey the head chief, seeing as how the head chief was an elder member of the Qu clan. However, no one could stop him/her from tasting the food every now and then. Although resentful of the task, and knowing the outcome, Quina Quen continued cooking in the kitchen of the royal place of Alexandria…but no one seemed to notice that several plates of food were missing after the cooking was finished that night.

"_Who would have thought that though I have sworn fealty to the crown, I would still be able to pluck this precious gemstone from the hand of the queen?" _-Part of propose overheard by a waiter in Treno, of Adelbert Steiner to Beatrix.

Happy as he was that she had agreed to marry him, his Queen's odd behavior over the past few weeks troubled him. Agreeing with Beatrix that they should not mention their engagement quite yet, the young leader currently had no idea that they were doing more then dating…and, of course, training the Knights of Pluto and Squad Beatrix, who were getting along better then ever now that their captains were on such good terms…though none of them knew of the engagement either, in fact, no one outside of the two of them, and whoever had been rude enough to listen in on their private discussion in Treno where he had proposed, knew about it at all. Adelbert Steiner smiled at the woman across the table, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before returning to the business at hand, improving their soldiers…and what flowers would look best with the uniforms they were planning for their soldiers, blue for the Knights of Pluto, and Purple for Squad Beatrix.

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I'm not sure if I'll be writing any more about Quina, but if any of you feel that s/he needs to be included, let me know and I'll see if I can put more of him/her in here.

Again, sorry for what I believe will be slow updates, and cookie for all who review (and pie for those who hate cookies…though I can't imagine why any would hate cookies…) Next chapter will focus on Vivi, Eiko, and Garnet.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Prologue for owning rights of characters, and everything in FF9…and Guardian1, for her ideas about Vivi and the black mages.

Thanks go to all those who have reviewed so far, you all have inspired the creative voice in my head, to whisper me the telling of this chapter much earlier then I though she would…but seriously, I _do _have a lot of school work coming up, so updates will be irregular, and probably slow…anyways, cookies to all those who review, pie to those who hate cookies!

(Also, I did all my homework at school today, and this I have a three day weekend coming up, so there may be an update in the next few days if I have the patience (and the mountain dew) to sit down and type.)

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Secrets and Sadness

"_Did you really think that I would never find out? Were you scared of anyone knowing, or were you simply scared of yourself? You could have shared your pain with someone else…with me…keeping fear and pain to yourself multiplies the hurt with loneliness. I'm sure you already knew that, of course…but if you did, you should have come to me. After all, who knows of loneliness better then us?" _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

At first, she had thought she was imagining things. After a week, she knew she wasn't. Vivi had finally gained a sense of balance, much to the amazement of everyone. But that wasn't what concerned her. Though she was thrilled when garnet had told her and Vivi that they would be going to both Madain Sari and Vivi's old house near Treno over the break, even this happy news couldn't completely distract her from the fact that her friend's moods now appeared mirrored. She understood why Garnet felt like this, but she could see no reason for Vivi to suddenly start becoming as sad as Garnet had become in the last three weeks. Sure, he had been sad when they had begun to realize Zidane was gone and never coming back, they had all been saddened by this…even Steiner. It just didn't make sense for him to start getting worse now, when others were starting to get better. _Maybe…maybe I'm even starting to feel…a little better. _Deciding that she would visit her friend later that night, after finishing some homework, Eiko Carol skipped up the stairs two at a time, in an effort to cheer herself up. _After all, no one else is going to do it for me…_

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"_Do we all exist in the same way? I…I think that I've seen something undeniably the same in humans. The Genomes are almost identical to each other. Which exists more? The similar or the dissimilar? And…what of the black mages? Are we closer to the genomes, so similar in appearance that one untrained and unknowing could not tell us apart? Or are we closer to the humans, similar in many ways, but fairly distinguishable from each other? Which is closer to existence? Which does not…?"_ -Entry from the Journal of Vivi Ornitier.

He had been happy to hear that he would be able to visit the house he and is grandfather had lived in together. Of course, he had also been acting happy in front of _her_, she was already sad enough without knowing. He sat in the corner of his room near the window. Both he and Eiko now lived in the castle with Garnet. Garnet had rebuilt the underground chambers below the late queen's room in order to house all of the people now living there with her, as well as to erase old memories. Eiko's room was three flights of stairs up from his room, and Garnet had kept her old room, across the hall from the room that now served as an entry-way to the rooms reserved for special guests and new residents of the castle. He looked down from the window's ledge, sitting on the slab of concrete and watching the reflection of the two moons on the water that surrounded the castle. Late at night, at time like these, were the only times he felt secure enough to take off his gloves and hat, safe enough to allow the black mist that hid his face disappear, if only for a few hours. _Are we…do all black mages look the same? Of course, it would make sense if we did. After all, almost all of the gnomes looked the same, it would make sense for Kuja to have made us all look the same, save for his black waltz. They at least looked different…I guess I'll find out when I go back to the village._ He stretched his small black wings slightly. They were new, however, and still small enough to be hidden under his coat. He stared down into the water, allowing his mind to wander. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed the door open. If he had been paying attention, he may have noticed that Eiko was looking straight at him, though because of how he was positioned, never saw his face. He didn't hear the door close either, and after a few hours, Vivi Ornitier replaced his coat, hat, gloves and concealing mist. After a few more moments of laying down, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"_The doctor's said that it was because of stress. I was advised to take a break, but how can I? I am queen now, and I must rebuild Alexandria." _-Entry from Royal Diary of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17th

Straightening with a slight groan of protest from her muscles, she grimaced slightly at the thought of what her tutor would think of her posture. _A queen can't afford to slump over and look like a scholar, it is unprofessional._ She felt a small smile escape from her as she recalled the face her tutor had made when stating this fact…and the way they had both laughed for a good ten minutes afterward. Groaning slightly as she glanced at the mountain of papers that needed to be read and signed by her in order to allow the progress of rebuilding to continue, she pulled down the top document. Despite the fact that she wasn't experiencing her cycle this month, she still felt the cramps, and a slight feeling of nausea. A physician had told her that it was due to the stress of rebuilding coupled with the loss of Zidane. She was hoping that after months of living in the wilderness, months of training and saving the world, her body had simply become athletic enough to skip her cycle on its own. Of course, that would be too convenient, so it had to be stress. Later that night, after finishing her work around the time the moons began to sink, she found Eiko sitting quietly on the platform where she and her mother had sat watching "I want to be your canary" all those months ago. Of course, it couldn't be safe for a six-year-old child to sit on a piece of cement that, if slipped off of, would let her fall for a hundred feet before landing painfully on the ground below. Eiko turned around as she heard garnet coming up behind her. _She looks about as bad as I feel._ Trying to smile at her young friend, garnet stood next to her, though staying safely behind the slab of concrete. She looked up at Eiko when the girl began to speak "…Do you ever think about going back?" _No…there isn't a reason to go back, I don't want to see what's left… _She felt herself straighten suddenly, and started walking away quickly. "I…haven't thought about it. Anyways, I have to go take care of something, make sure you don't fall." She just made it to the bathroom and shoved her head in the direction of the toilet when she began to vomit. _Maybe I will take a day off…this much stress can't be good for me._ The next day, Garnet was up and working again…though she slept in until nine.

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Next chapter will be up soon, but it's fairly short. Focused on Freya and Amarant.

begins making another batch of cookies and smiles at all potential reviewers Come on…you know you want to.


	4. Chapter 4

Moving On

"_Freya, I know this isn't the time, but I have a request of you" _-part of letter sent to Freya Crescent from Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17th

She had received a letter two weeks and three days after the funeral. When she had asked Puck for permission, he had practically thrown her out of Burmecia. There was no doubt that Puck had understood her need to get out of Burmecia for a while, and this letter coming at such a convenient time was almost too good to be true. Of course, if she hadn't known this was one of the times of the year when the children had a school break, she might have thought that it was more then coincidence that her letter had arrived when she had been planning on leaving. She had packed a few things to take with her, mostly clothing and potions. After all, she didn't need much else besides her Dragon's Hair. Setting off through the newly rebuilt gates of Burmecia, Freya Crescent left her home…knowing it would be at lease five more years before she returned again. Hopefully…it would be rebuilt by then.

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"_Amarant, I know your probably busy, but I need to ask a favor of you" _-part of letter sent to Amarant Coral from Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17th

Sighing slightly as he re equipped his Rune Claws, he wondered why he had ever agreed to take partial custody of Eiko and Vivi. _Must have been drunk…_ Of course, he had been sober when he agreed…just not thinking. But then, none of them had been thinking right then. After all, Zidane _had _just gone back for Kuja at the time. _I wonder why Garnet decided that __**I **__should be the one in charge of the kids…it doesn't make much sense, she should have just handed them over to her uncle and aunt, it would have made more sense. _Of course, those two kids did need to be protected, being what they were. Besides the fact that they had helped save the world, there were other things that some people would take advantage of them about, given the chance. Besides Garnet, Eiko was the last remaining person in Gaia that could summon Eidolons, and Vivi would soon be the only black mage left. _At least I only have to deal with the brats…I don't think I could stand having to travel with those idiots again._ After securing a few potions and ethers into his pack, Amarant Coral began to leave Treno…though before he was out of the gate, he was 5,000 gil richer. After all, some habits never go away entirely.

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Author's Note: Hey, I said it would be a shot chapter, didn't I? I plan on having the next chapter up tomorrow, but it might take a little longer then that. Next chapter focuses on Eiko, Vivi and Garnet, with sprinkles of Steiner and Beatrix. And remember, cookies to all who review!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Updates for AWWY are currently posted on the bottom of my profile page, for those of you who want to know when I plan to update. I can't promise that all updates will be up on schedule, as I d_o _have school and other things that need to be taken care of, but I _will _try to get them up on or near the dates listed. Also, I _do _have another story I'm working on…its my first one, and I wrote the first parts kind of badly, so some of my writing time shall go to re-writing those chapters as well. Anyways, you people know the drill. You review, I bake cookies. Disclaimer on first chapter.

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Secrets And Sadness II

"_After thinking on it, I have decided that it is the Humans who exist more, followed closely by the Genomes. It seems that those who are dissimilar exist more, and by returning to see my brothers, I will be able to learn how well we exist…though I fear I already know the answer…if they-we are identical…then I will know the answer to my question, and be able to prove my hypothesis."_ -Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier.

His grades weren't slipping. If anything, they were rising. He hadn't stopped eating. His conversations were as they had always been, though without the slight stutter he had suffered from when he was younger. That is, if you wanted to call a few months younger. When people saw the sadness in his eyes, the thought that it was for the missing genome, Zidane. He had been gone for three weeks now, and it was increasingly unlikely. With an explanation for him to be sad, and none of the signs of depression showing, people tended to dismiss the sad look that his yellow eyes gave off. _I guess that's one benefit of people only being able to see my eyes…_ Of course, there was always at least one person who couldn't be fooled. Eiko seemed to notice whenever anything was amiss, but she had always been sensitive to changes, and seemed to almost have a sixth sense for things like this. He wasn't sure if he was glad that someone knew the difference, or irritated that he couldn't fool everyone. _Maybe I'll feel batter after visiting grandfather's house…no, probably not. He's gone now, and soon all of the black mage will be gone too. _Eiko had been acting strangely for the past few days, but hopefully it was just excitement. After all, it would not do for a child that cheerful to fall into depression as well. Staring out of the window, Vivi Ornitier returned to his current project, though it was not school related and he would probably never show the results to anyone. Proving existence.

* * *

"_I guess I just never noticed it. How similar we are. I mean, it was kind of obvious. Both of us were raised in sort of the same way. But were opposites too. What does that make us? Opposites or mirror-reflections?" _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

_I guess I'd had just about enough. It wasn't the best idea I'd ever had, but it was the first thing that came into my mind…and it seemed like the right thing to do. But now, I'm not so sure if it's the right thing for me to do, or if I'm the right person. _She stood in front of Vivi's bedroom door, one hand held in mid-air, trying to decide whether or not to knock. Before she could make up her mind, the door swung open. Thankfully, this door opened into the room, so she didn't get hi by it. Two glowing orbs stared at her from behind the door. "O-oh, hi Eiko." Despite herself, she smiled slightly. He couldn't be too bad off if he could still get nervous enough to stutter. Expanding her smile slightly so that it covered her face the way a smile should on an almost-seven-year-old girl, she greeted her friend "Hi Vivi, how's it going?" _I wonder if there's anyway for me to find out if he smiles or not…_ "Um…ok I guess…do you want to come in?" _Oh cool, I've never seen his room before! _"Yeah, sure." It was a sort of empty room. In the center of the wall that faced out toward the water surrounding the castle, was a giant window that took up most of the wall. The furniture consisted of a dresser-closet, large bed, desk, and a bookcase that was a little more then half-full of books. _He keeps his room really clean…_ She looked over at where Vivi was standing, leaning slightly against the wall near the door. _He looks….taller? And he's slouching too…I guess he's growing too. _Not that she was overly proud of having gained several inches. After a few minutes of casual conversation, she found herself sitting cross-legged on the bed, sitting opposite Vivi and laughing at a joke he had made. An hour later, she was sitting on her own bed, wondering why Vivi had refused to tell her what was wrong, and why he had gotten so upset when she mentioned that he wasn't acting like himself, and that he was changing. _Well, I guess I know why that last part got him upset…_ Eiko Carol reached over for a favorite book, opening it and beginning to read. After all, what better escape was there then a story that you could lose yourself in?

* * *

"_Yes, they are like children to me now. My little rays of sunshine. Perhaps I shall sign the papers too…but I must do it in a way that neither of them shall be forced upon the throne of Alexandria. Perhaps uncle Cid will have the answer…"_ -Entry from Royal Diary of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17th

She felt a strange sort of sadness creeping up on her as the date for Vivi's and Eiko's trip became closer. It was separate from the pang Zidane had left her with, separate, but still there. She had sent a letter to her uncle Cid, asking his advice on how to adopt them without leaving the throne to them after she passed. After all, it wouldn't be fair to place the burden of ruling on two small children. Waiting for the moogles to return from the places she had sent them to, with responses to her letters, she smiled slightly at the pile of completed work. She had finally caught up on her work, and the restoration of Alexandria was going well. Walking back to the window in the room she had grown up in, Garnet stared out of the window to watch the sunrise. In two days, Vivi and Eiko would be leaving.

* * *

"_So…how exactly do we explain it when we do get married?"_ -Snippet of conversation overheard by a cook in Alexandria, Conversation between Adelbert Steiner and Beatrix.

Despite the fact that there were over three-hundred new recruits to both the Knights of Pluto and Squad Beatrix, and that these new recruits were so over-eager that their training was progressing more rapidly then they could have hoped, they had a problem. Other then the face that they still hadn't picked out a date for their wedding. It had become increasingly hard to hide their engagement from bother their soldiers, and their queen. Of course, though the oaths they had taken did forbid them from lying to their queen…there was no law against omission of information. It wasn't that they didn't want to tell her…but they didn't want to rub their engagement in her face either. Beatrix held up a single violet rose, and they both stared at it for a full minute before nodding. At the very least, preparations were going well. They now had outfits picked out, as well as flowers…the next steps were the cake and dress. Smiling at him, Beatrix pulled out a book. Forcing a smile, though groaning inwardly, Adelbert Steiner mentally prepared himself for a nightmare. Picking out a wedding dress.

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I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but no promises. The next chapter involves Freya, Amarant, Eiko, Vivi, Garnet, Steiner and Beatrix.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I'm sorry that this is late, I really did plan on having this on Sunday…honestly…but I was distracted. I blame my short attention span…and the addiction that is online gaming. I _promise _chapter seven will be up on Saturday…maybe…probably…at some point during the weekend at least. I also blame all of the homework I've been getting. I did all of it…well, most of it, but I can do the rest of my math in the morning. At least I missed my last two classes today. Hooray for Orthodontists (not).

Disclaimer on first chapter; Ideas about Vivi's and the Black Mage's appearances belong to Guardian1, who was wonderful enough to give me permission to use her ideas. Also, the 'bird' reference is inspired by Yuja (a.k.a. Chowder, a.k.a. Catz).

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Meetings & Discoveries

"_Why the hell are you here?" _-Greeting from Amarant Coral to Freya Crescent overheard by a waiter in a bar in Alexandria.

All he wanted was a nice quiet drink before going up to the castle. But was fate ever kind enough to let him sit back and relax? Sometimes. But now was not one of those times, for the moment began to drink, his head turned to the left and he nearly spat out his drink. Nearly-but years of training had taught him to never _ever_ spit out a drink, as it was highly unlikely that he would get a free replacement. Forcing himself to swallow, he stared at the person sitting next to him. _Minus four awareness points. _Quickly chugging the rest of his drink, he turned back to his old companion "How's it going rat?" Turning her chair to face him, Freya had a look on her face that matched his earlier thought of spraying a drink. Taking another slow sip of his drink, he turned so he was looking her in the face "So…why the hell are you here?"

* * *

"_Of all the things to leave out in a letter, it had to be this." _-Mutterings of Freya Crescent overheard by a waiter in a bar in Alexandria. 

She stared into the face; or rather what little of the face that wasn't covered by his red hair; of the third-to-last person she had been expecting to see…if you could expect o not expect something of course, no matter how against logic this was. The only two people who would have surprised her more by being there were Zidane and Sir Frately. She muttered darkly into her cup, while thinking up a few good things to point out to Garnet when she met up with her again. "You here 'cause of Garnet's letter?" She nodded, and asked her own question "You here to escort the kids?" Amarant groaned and downed the rest of whatever was in his cup, as she assumed he must have just figured out why they were both here. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. An idea that would make the rest of the trip, or at least the rest of the night more bearable. "Hey red…" Amarant grunted, though he would never give a real response to that nickname "What do you say we make tonight interesting, since we don't have to see _she who must not be named _until tomorrow night?" Amarant looked up at her "What did you have in mind?" Grinning slightly, she raised her tankard

"Lets see which one of us can really hold down their liquor better."

"Your on."

Several hours later, Freya Crescent and her red-haired friend supported each other as they drunkenly tried to stumble up the stairs to their rooms. Smiling to herself as she managed to get herself onto her bed, she passed out with a single thought in her mind

_I won…_

_

* * *

_

"_Oh-…I…er…that is to say…"_ -mutterings produced by Adelbert Steiner during his interrogation.

To say that he was embarrassed was the least of his problems. Though he had expected that someone might have overheard him and Beatrix had crossed his mind more then once, he had not expected his queen to find out so soon. And yet, here she was, staring at him, the commander of the male half of the knights dedicated to her, as well as Beatrix, the commander of the female half of the knights. Both he and Beatrix kneeled in front of their queen, who was seated on her throne. Garnet cleared her throat before going on "I'll ask again, is there anything that you two have been keeping from me?" Beatrix immediately turned a fine shade of red that he found himself comparing to the wine they had selected. he mentally shook himself _Now is not the time!_

"Oh-…I…er…that is to say…"

Not for the first time, and most likely not for the last time either, Beatrix saved him from the current predicament. She raised her head and made direct eye contact with Garnet with her one good eye. Though she remained kneeled, she gave off the impression that she was at looking at her queen at an equal height, not from below. Such was the proper air for the commander of half an army that was one of, if not the, most renowned in the world.

"Your highness, I apologize for not informing you sooner, but myself and Captain Steiner…" She paused briefly, looking over to the man she was referring to and gave him the ghost of a smile, before returning her gaze to the queen, the air she possessed before returned "-…that is to say, your highness…Captain Steiner proposed to me two weeks ago, and I have accepted. The Captain and myself are engaged." Garnet jumped up, both hands over her mouth. The next second, she had Beatrix in a sisterly embrace. Smiling widely, she held the surprised commander at and arms length, her hands on her shoulder. "About damn time too!" A whirlwind of emotions and confusion later, he found himself in the quarters that he and Beatrix now shared. Not completely understanding what had happened, she sat down on the edge of his bed, removing the new armor he had gotten after returning. Unfortunately, he had found himself agreeing with Zidane at some point. His old armor _had _been rusty. As he lay down in his bed, a single thought crossed Adelbert Steiner's mind. _Behavior like that is most unbecoming of a queen…and highly unexpected. _Although, it could not be said that he was ungrateful that she approved, something seemed off…

Several floors above, the queen of Alexandria, Garnet, cried fresh tears. After few moments, she lost track of which ones were of joy for her commander and captain, which were jealousy that they had something which she now knew she never could, and the tears caused almost every night by the disappearance of _him_.

* * *

"_I've had enough. It is not just a simple curiosity any longer. Vivi is hiding something, and he is going to tell me what's wrong whither he wants to or not! Tonight I'm going down there to find out what exactly is wrong with him." _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol. 

_Tomorrow we start on our journey…if it can even be called that. No, journey is the wrong word. Adventure doesn't fit either. Vacation? No, that's wrong too…Trip? I suppose that'll work…gah, no that is NOT the point…geez, stupid mind, keep focused! Tonight, I find out what's wrong with Vivi… _She stood outside his door again. Unlike her most recent visit, this time it was night again when she came to see her friend. Ever since she had found out that there was a _body_ under that coat, and a _face_ under that mist, she had wanted to see what he looked like. Simply for the sake of curiosity, of course. She knocked on his door. After five minutes of no answer, she walked in. Unlike last time, Vivi hadn't been lost in thought. Also, she was being less stealthy then last time, when she hadn't wanted to wake him up. Vivi was sitting on the great stone slab that housed a large window that took up almost the entire wall. The window was open again. He was sitting on the still again. However, the coat and hat were on this time. Ignoring the look, or rather, lack of look since the familiar mist was covering the features she supposed his face had, she sat down on the still next to him. What happened next she never remembered. She knew that they had been talking, and supposed she had had some sort of an outburst. The next thing she knew, he was sighing, and removing his hat. the mist was slowly dispersing, revealing a face she had defiantly not been expecting. Her mind screamed, but her face remained blank. _He has…Kuja's face…_ He kept his eyes closed, tilting his head in an angle that said he was ashamed. _But no…that isn't right…its different somehow. It's…innocent. Gentle. He doesn't have any evil inside of him. _"Vivi, what's wrong?" Immediately his head snapped up, his eyes opening. _Yellow…of course they're yellow…his hair isn't exactly like Kuja's either, he doesn't look like a bird!_ "I…I look like him, don't I?" Understanding spawned inside of the young girl's mind. _Does he think we would hate him because he looks like the one who almost destroyed our world? The person who destroyed Terra? The person who took Zidane after our victory…?_ Smiling slightly at him, she tilted her head to the side and grinned as only a child can. "Don't worry, I won't tell the others. You can tell them when your ready, but you don't have to worry. Your secret is safe with me." Though she didn't know it at the time, the young black mage's thoughts were all gratitude. Gratitude that someone knew, and didn't hate him…and relief as well. "Thank you." Bouncing back from the window, she turned around to leave. "Don't forget to pack, were leaving tomorrow…oh, and Vivi?" "Hm?"

"Don't forget to smile."

back in her room, Eiko Carol furiously scribbled in her diary. Pausing in the middle of a sentence, she rested the tip of the pen against her lips, allowing the cool metal to sooth her thoughts. _He has the coolest golden eyes…they glow!_

* * *

I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I seriously was going to finish this yester day, on Friday, but things…took a turn for the worst. Put simply, I got a two hour lecture about how I'm a 'Spiteful child who needs to grow up' 'Need to be a part of this family' and 'Need to let go of all the hatred and spit inside of me, for it will destroy me'. All this after seven hours of walking, from the mistress of the person who the law says is my 'father'. Apparently, staying in my room, trying not to disrupt them, and only speaking when spoken to is part of the above statements…I really can't wait to get emancipated, but I have to wait for now. (Also, at the end of that, he 'accidently' let it slip that my uncle, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cance about a year ago, will most likely be dead within two to three weeks. low blow Paul...low blow...) Sorry for the rambling, but I wanted to justify the lateness of this chapter. I wanted the chapter _after _this one up today, but since it's already 11:18 where I am, I doubt it'll be up in time. Thank you to all who are still reading this, Guardian1 for letting me use her ideas, and Yuja/Chowder/Catz for being my support and beta reader! 

I want to have the next chapter up tomorrow, but I can't promise anything…homework over the weekend should be illegal --, not to mention the ace about my 'domestic situation' I'll do my best though, so try to bare with me if you can.

(wow, 3 alerts, 3 favorites, 390 hits, and 13 reviews! I feel loved!) Further thanks to you, the reviewers. Cookies to you all! readers, you can have cookies as well…but the best cookies go to the reviewers. (after reading more stories, I have decided to include responses to reviewers…)

Solark: Of **course **you can have a cookie!

sup3rl0z3r: Glad to see your enjoying it.

fft4ever: Glad to see you like it too. I'll try to update it more often.

J.L. Dexter: Thanks for the compliment, and the support!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I love the internet, I really do. Thanks to skim reading, and online translations, my homework is now complete! So, now that I am able to begin work on chapter seven. After this chapter, I'm taking a little break from updating, because I need to work on the outline…but chapters eight, nine, and ten should be up by the end of the month if all goes according to plan. Cookies to all reviewers, you guys make my day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX, its characters, places, or anything else. I wish I did, but SquareEnix / SquareSoft do. The description of the black mages and Vivi belong to Guardian1, who was wonderful enough to allow me to use her idea. However, I do own those pesky waiters who keep on hearing everything…

* * *

Preparations for Departure

"_It looks like were going to the place near Treno where Vivi lived with his Grandfather first. I guess that makes sense, since its closest…After that, were going to Black Mage village, then Madain Sari. I wonder how my moogles are doing…" _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol

It wasn't as if she was jealous of Vivi because he got to visit his homes first. She just…was impatient. After all, her moogles must be frantic with worry, not to mention bored half to death by now, since she had been gone so long. _At least Vivi seems happier now…probably because he finally told someone! Good thing I'm good at keeping secrets._ She gave a little half-sigh, which for someone her size, was more like a miniature pout. _Maybe too good…I don't think anyone even knows that my birthday is in three months._ Three months, two weeks, and four days…not that she was counting. Well, she could always count on her moogles to let something slip to one of her escorts while they were in Madain Sari. Re-tying her ribbon that Mog had left to her, Eiko Carol made her way down from the roof back to her room to finish packing. After all, they were leaving in the morning, and she couldn't spend all night on the roof staring at the stars.

_

* * *

_

"_I'm glad I'll be able to go back to the house where grandfather and I lived…but…I just hope were not too late arriving at Black Mage Village. I don't want to arrive there just to find out that they've all…stopped."_ -Entry from Journal of Vivi Ornitier.

After double checking his slight amount of luggage, which consisted mostly of the cloths on his back, his Mace of Zeus, a Jade Armlet, a Robe of Lords, a Rosetta Ring, and a Circlet, Vivi found himself wearing a slight smile and feeling a little sorry for any monsters they happened across. Twirling his Mace of Zeus slightly, he felt his smile broaden. He could feel the power of Doomsday residing inside of this staff. Continuing to twirl it, he leaned back slightly. Much as he disliked everything else that was changing, he loved his new sense of balance. Also, it seemed that since his balance was better, his accuracy had also increased. Glancing over his equipment once more, and satisfied that he hadn't forgotten anything, he took his store of elixirs and ethers out of their hiding place, a row stacked carefully beneath his bed. After a quick double check of his equipment and items, Vivi Ornitier had only one thought cross his mind as he headed downstairs. _I guess you can't travel across the world and not have get the best equipment there is in the process._

_

* * *

_

"_Well, now that it is no longer a secret, we should set it for when it is convenient for everyone." _-Overheard by a waiter in the castle of Alexandria; conversation between Adelbert Steiner and Captain Beatrix.

After careful planning, many letters sent back and forth with mognet, and many marks on the calendar made by the trio that was himself, his fiancé, Beatrix, and their queen, Garnet, the date for their wedding was finally set. Though they still had many other plans to make, he felt a certain sense of accomplishment in the fact that they had set a date for their wedding. After all, wasn't that supposed to be one of the harder things to do when planning a wedding?

However, one rather large problem still existed. Though they could call upon any of their knights; or in Beatrix's case, even their queen; they were still missing one very key component. The best man and bride's maid. Sighing slightly, he set down his pen. His work was getting in the way of his marriage…or was it the other way around? Either way, marriage plans were demanding his attention, and the training plans weren't due for another three weeks, so a little procrastination couldn't hurt…right? Looking to the left and right parts of his desk, Adelbert Steiner found that both piles of work were the same in height. With another sight, he reached over to the left pile and continued to work. _Though who the hell cares what color the flowers on the cake are is beyond me…_

* * *

"_I don't know what to do about this. It…is almost too much…what would you have done, Zidane?" _-Entry from Royal Diary of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 17th 

She was slightly surprised at the grudging acceptance Amarant and Freya had to her plan for the two of them to escort Vivi and Eiko. She had been prepared for a verbal battle, and instead had only needed to point out where they needed to sign the papers for her solution to the problem of the custody of Vivi and Eiko...Though they had both seemed a little out of it, and were talking quietly. After quietly and privately asking Freya, the Burmecian had agreed to take twenty-five percent of the guardianship. Amarant had the same amount, while Cid and his wife had twelve percent, and she had thirty-eight percent of the guardianship. That way, there was no chance of the two children being forced to rule either the country of Alexandria or Lindblum. Later, she had had an appointment with her doctor, and nearly passed out from the news he had given her. Of course, she hadn't though stress was getting ride of her monthly cycle…but this hadn't exactly been expected either. _Pregnant…I'm…pregnant…_

She had been assured that so far everything was healthy, and she was a little past the one month mile stone. Though they hadn't asked her to name the father, she already knew who it was. After all, she would never forget that night, their last night together. _Even though your gone, you left me something…_

She wasn't sure what she would do if Zidane turned up at this point. Defiantly hug him…but he defiantly had a few slaps coming his way as well. Garnet lay down in her bed, her last conscious thoughts spiraling toward her two children, Vivi and Eiko, and wondering what the child to come would be like.

* * *

Ok, this chapter goes out to all you reviewers, and the guilt I feel for not updating yesterday…I'm sorry about that. From here on, I have no idea exactly what's going to happen, because I only outlined to this chapter. So…now I have to spend some time outlining the story. Chapter eight is scheduled for 9/15...but it might be up sooner. I don't know. Cookies to all who review! Oo imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and found that I have over 450 hits now! And 16 reviews! Thank you all so much. 

Solark: I'm not sure when, but I _will_ read and review you…eventually…and you get a cookie every time you review!

Sup3rl0z3r: We should start a union and protest weekend homework…

Yuja/Chowder/Catz: GET TO WORK YOU LAZY BUM (j/k)

J.L Dexter: You just barely made it in here, as I was about to add the chapter, I checked my mail, and low and behold, there you are with another review! Thank you for your support, and for reviewing!

Also, if you want to name the waiter, leave a recomendation in the review or contact me...depending on how it seems to fit, i may use the name instead of 'overheard by a waiter'. And yes, the waiter who overhears things is always the same person...they are stalking the saviors of the planet,


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: My apologies for the long wait. I planned to have this up about two weeks ago, but to be honest…I totally forgot about it.; But seriously, my uncle died on the 13th, and I just got back from his funeral yesterday. However, there is some good news. I'm putting off my other story (mostly because I forgot where I was going with it…) and am now concentrating fully on this story (mostly because my friends have decided they hate me now and won't speak to me). Anyways, I'll try to update weekly now, most likely on the weekends some time, and probably more often during the holidays. Remember, all you reviewers get cookies!

* * *

Departure

_Ok, maybe just a little jealous…but come on, my moogles are probably starving to death by now…ok, no their not, but still, I miss them…_ -Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

She sat by herself on the glass part of the airship. Of course, most almost-even-year-olds would be terrified by the fall that was only prevented by a thin layer of glass separating them from the ninety nine point nine nine nine nine nine chance of death by fall…but that thought never choose to rear its ugly head in hers. _At least I didn't get any homework…And we should be in Treno in three hours…but I don't understand why this is the first stop. I though Vivi would want to go to the village first. I mean, that house is always gonna be there, but the black mages…_ She stood up and looked over to the corner on the left. Freya had taken to sitting in the left corer, and Amarant in the right one. Although it didn't occur to her, these were the quietest, smoothest, and darkest parts of the ship…making them ideal places for the conclusion of two-day hangovers. Laying down on her stomach, feeling the coolness of the glass on the her stomach, she began to draw with her finger on the slight covering that had appeared on the glass from the coolness that existed outside. _Con…den…station…why can't adults make easier words?_ Eiko Carol continued to draw for a few minutes, before being rocked to sleep by the hum of the ship's engine.

* * *

_It's weird how alike we really are. Both of us were raised by our grandfathers. Both of us lost our grandfathers before we reached double digits…and both of us are probably going to be the last of our kind. Maybe that's why I've always felt more comfortable around her? _-Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier.

_First were going to Grandpa's house…then to Black Mage Village…then Madain Sari. I wonder why Freya and Amarant both have headaches? _He sat near the sliding doors of the engine room with his math book. Even though he didn't have any homework, he had decided to bring his book along at the last minute. After all, there wasn't much to do in a three hour long ride other then sit and be bored, if you didn't bring anything with you. Even though Eiko could have used the review more, she had refused to do any non-required homework, especially on vacation. To him, it wasn't work. Not really. More of a puzzle then anything else. He liked puzzles. His grandfather had liked them too. Not that either of them had ever owned a real puzzle, of course. But they did have those weird things where you had to think and tinker for hours to figure out how to make them fall apart without breaking anything. _How many hours did I spend on those? I should get a new one…I sold the old ones after I memorized all of their solutions…_ Quietly scratching a pencil against a piece of paper, Vivi Ornitier continued to play with his 'puzzles' until the ship landed three hours later.

* * *

Yes, I know, short, but the next shall be longer…I think…maybe…anyways, reviewers get cookies…though there isn't much to review ; my apologies, I couldn't really think of anything, but I needed to update. I value my toes…

Sup3rl0z3r: A Wednesday it shall be! And I apologize for the long wait and short chapter.

Solark: ; I will get around to reading it someday…and I'll try to update soon, maybe even later today but now I must do homework…

And don't forget, reviewers get cookies!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: OK, ok, I know I said I was going to update every week…and I apologize for completely forgetting about this story for about two months. Long story short, I got kicked out of 'my' house, and semi-moved in with my boyfriend (Also, I got a boyfriend, six weeks this Friday!). This morning, a review greeted me in my mail and I decided to stay home 'sick' today to write another chapter for you guys. Sorry for the long wait, and thank you all for reviewing! Cookies for all you lovely reviewers!

* * *

Grandfather's House

_I guess I never expected that something would be exactly the same. It hasn't changed since we stopped here on our quest to save the world…so why do I still feel like if I turn around, I'll see you standing there, smiling, in your favorite spot outside? Yeah, you know the place. You favorite fishing spot. That's how you found me…Does that make me a fish?_ -Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier.

He walked in first. Eiko followed. The 'adults' stayed outside, having a slight argument about some sort of drinking contest. _I don't see why who can drink the most is so important…I could probably drink more water then Eiko could though._ The entire place was coated with a thin layer of dust- which was to be expected in an uninhabited cave that had obviously not been touched or disturbed in any way for a long time. He exited through the 'door' that led to what had been his grandfather's favorite spot. "…he loved to fish." He didn't notice he had sat down until suddenly realizing that Eiko was sitting on her heels next to him. "My grandfather liked to fish too…he didn't seem to like the village after…after everyone…left. But he loved that little corner down by the water. He wouldn't leave there unless he needed to take care of me, or if it was dinner time." A fish jumped in the water below them. "My grandfather found me by fishing me up…does that make me a fish?" Eiko made an odd snorting noise, and almost fell over into the water "Are you joking? You can't be made into a fish just because you got fished…can you?" Vivi Ornitier and Eiko Carol stared blankly at each other for several minutes before asking at the same time "…Does it?"

* * *

[And here I honestly can't help but picture one of those blank moments where you see the two characters get all chibi faced and blue, with those little lines and giant eyes staring at each other and screaming silently "…WTF?"

* * *

_Vivi's house hasn't changed at all…I wonder if Madain Sari is still the same…Ooh, also, note to self: on return to Alexandria castle, find out if being fished up **does **make you a fish._ -Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

She hummed quietly to herself. They were back on the airship, and _finally _heading to Black Mage Village…which meant that they were **finally** getting close to actually going to Madain Sari. _I don't even know why we __**bothered **__to bring our weapons along, or this much gear…were on an __**airship**__, we don't need any of this stuff…and why does being able to drink a lot of water seem so important to adults…unless…it isn't water they're talking about drinking! What if it's milk?? Or juice? YES! It MUST be grape juice! I should ask Vivi to have a grape juice drinking contest with me later._ She walked down to the engine room. "It's nice down here…everything is humming, and this is always the warmest room…" Sitting down quietly, she took out her homework "…so much for a vacation, they gave us **way **too much work to do." Eiko Carol sat quietly and did her homework…for about ten minutes before falling asleep in the calming room.

* * *

!ActicveTimeEvent! Meanwhile, upstairs

Amarant and Freya are sitting upstairs in the 'kitchen'. What? It's a giant ship, there could have been a kitchen like room that got remolded later…

"…Rematch."

"…Is that how you ask someone obviously superior to you if they want a drink?"

"…Rematch."

"Hey, I demand some respect! I can out drink you, and I've proved it!"

"…You got lucky."

"Oh please, I didn't know you were such a sore loser."

"…Lightweight."

-Freya storms out of the room-

"…"

"…"

"…"

-Chugs a drink down-

"Where does she put it all?"

* * *

Not very long, but I don't really have much else that can happen right here in this chapter. I'll try to update more, but no promises. Now, fresh from the oven, here are the cookies for the reviewers!

Solark: Thanks for the support! -hands a snicker doodle-

sup3rl0z3r: So, where is that girly screech of yours? -gives a random cookie-

animizunofan22: I'm not sure about the names of those puzzles, but I remember I had one a long time ago…and I though it fit Vivi, so I gave him one. -gives a chocolate chip cookie-

And finally, last but not least:

Xanthera: Sorry you got in trouble…but thanks to your review, I remembered about updating, so in a way, this chapter is dedicated to you. Thank you, and here is your cookie. -hands a random cookie-


	10. Black Mage Village

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long…I was going to update a few days ago, but I had to go to the doctor and…well…long story short, I can't go to school for a few weeks cause I have a type of Mono (or at least they think I do, they aren't sure). Since I'm completely bored out of my mind, and don't get my homework until Tuesday, I'm offering you, the reviewers, a new option. If I get at least 3-4 reviews, I'll update at least once a day. Also, you still get your cookies. J

Oh, and for those of you who don't know [or don't remember No.288 was the black mage that told Vivi that they 'stopped' after about a year, he was the one that was always at the cemetery at the black mage village.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFIX, the characters, the idea about what black mage's look like without the hats and coats, or anything else. SquareEnix (formally SquareSoft, when the game was made) does.

* * *

Black Mage Village

I guess…we should have come here sooner…it's too late now…oh, Vivi, I'm so sorry…-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

She noticed that things didn't feel right as soon as they entered the village. There wasn't anyone walking around. The shops were empty. Even the 'baby' chocobo was gone. She sat down on the bed in what had once been the inn. _But…it's only been four months since we were here last…have they all…'stopped'…already? I thought that they lived for a year, some of them were only two months old when we were here last…_ Sighing, the girl got up and walked over to the house that the baby chocobo had been born in…_Even Bobby Corwen is gone…I wonder where he went? _She walked over to an oddly shaped horn and blew it.

_

* * *

_

**Active Time Event [ATE**

Bobby Corwen sneezes "…Wark?" Bobby Corwen turns around and walks towards a dead-looking forest. "Wark?…Wark!" Bobby Corwen enters Black Mage Village.

**End of Active Time Event [ATE**

* * *

"…Well, that was pointless…I hope Vivi is ok…" She turned around, and was nudged gently by the chocobo Bobby Corwen. "WHOA!" Eiko Carol fell down on her bottom, too surprised by the sudden appearance of the yellow bird to even notice that she was suddenly on the ground.

* * *

Actually, I did think about staying here for a long time…but I decided against it…for the simple reason that all of the others 'stopped' after about a year, and I had already lived for at least three years with Grandfather. I knew I was different from them…But now, I'll never know if they had bodies under their coats and hats…just how different from them am I? I guess I'll never know now… -Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier.

He stood at the graveyard. He looked at the dozens of graves. Each had a number at the top. At the very end of the line, was No.288's grave. Of course, the graves were not in numerical order…for they had not been born with the same longevity. "No.288..." _Who buried him? It was his job to bury and take care of this place…who will now that he is gone? And who buried him?_ With these thoughts in mind, Vivi Ornitier paid his last respects to the only members of his kind he had ever known…though they had never had any names of their own, he said goodbye to them individually in the only way he knew how. He laid a single flower on each of their graves.

* * *

Quickly hands cookies to fft4ever, Xanthera, and sup3rl0z3r. Also, I was going to have them ask about the fish thing, but there were two problems. 1) I couldn't decide wither to have them ask Freya or Amarant (who are currently off doing their own thing, you'll see next chapter), and 2) This was a fairly serious chapter, and it didn't feel quite right to have something as humorous as that in the same chapter where Vivi finds out that he is the last of his kind, and just the Bobby Corwen part felt like I was pushing it, so…yeah ; Review please, it makes my day! 


	11. Goodnight

I've got excuses. But those are on my profile, and I'm sure that those of you still reading would much rather get to the story then hear them (again) here. So sorry! Enjoy.

* * *

Goodnight

_I'm still not quite sure how I knew she would be there...Maybe it has something to do with the fact that parts of her clothing are the same color as _that _Chocobo...But she was the one I had to talk to. Shes the only one who could understand. Oh, sure, you could argue that Garnet is the same race as her, but Garnet's earliest memories are of the night she _came_to Alexandria, so its really as if she is the last...and no one can know about who Garnet really is, so Eiko will be treated as the last._

(at the bottom of the page a much neater and flowing handwriting has left another note)

_Looking back, I guess I should have questioned why a six-year-old child was so understanding, why someone so young had such understanding...maybe if I had, things would have gone differently_

-Entrie(s) from the journal of Vivi Ornitier.

After paying his last respects, the only thing he wanted was the person he suddenly realized was his best friend. Only half-conscious of what he was doing, he sped to where the chocobo had been housed, and found a bemused Eiko being licked to death by a yellow bird about twice his height.

And despite his situation, despite the knowladge he now carried, despite the fact that he could no longer ask the questions he felt needed to be discussed with another of his kind that were burning his mind, he laughed. And laughed. And collapsed to the floor laughing.

It took him a few minutes for him to realize that he and Eiko were now sitting against one of the walls (if you could call it one, does a circular room really have more then one wall?). It took another moment to realize that he had been _crying_and she had been comforting him for some time now. Judging from the shadows, though he wouldn't do so for a few more minutes, it must have been at least an hour. As oon as he saw the shadows, he realized that in his confusion and temporary loss of clarity, the mist he had been holding to conceal himself since before his grandfather had fished him up had dissipated...

As he quieted down, his mind burned less, for he had suddenly realized one question had been answered.

_He, at least, was _human _enough to feel loss and cry_. As he began to drift off into thought, he came to a second realization. He, Vivi Ornitier, would be completely screwed without his best friend.

* * *

_I guess he kinda lost it when he found me being licked to death by Bobby Corwin...I think laughing broke whatever self-control he had over his emotions, and I think that's why he broke down. I'm not really sure what he was mumbling for however-long it was, but...I'm not sure what it was, but something felt different after that night. Maybe because that was the first time he ever showed that kinda emotion, pure emotion without hiding anything, without mist concealing his true self. Who knew golden eyes, in the face and shape of Kuja's, could ever look so gentle? _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

After being miraciously saved from the horrendous death by licking of chocobo, and sitting with Vivi until he calmed down, she let him know that Freya and Amartant were staying on the airship that night, so he didn't have to his again until morning. Something flickered across the small boy's face, though she couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a smile or just a random thought going through his mind.

The two then made their way to the Inn, and into the room they had both been in the last time they had been in the village. That last time, they had bunked with Freya and Amarant, while Zidane, 'Rusty', 'Dagger', and Quina had taken the other room. Both of the children had top bunks last time, and went back to the same spots as before.

They spent the next few hours talking about things seemingly at random. The past. The Black Mages. Life at Alexandria. The Black Mages. All the destruction the two worlds had seen. The Black Mages. Homework. If Vivi was a Fish. And, of Course, the Black Mages. There were oddly-lengethed pauses of time between certain subjects, for more then once both children were overcome with their own thoughts, and felt unable to continue. Thankfully, both understood the other's need to be alone with the other's thoughts, and somehow never started talking again before the other was okay again.

Later she would think back to that night and smile, though there was certainly nothing to smile about at the time.

Somehow, by the end of the night, the beds were no longer against the walls, but side by side in the exact center of the room. And two small mages were sleeping back to back. Sleek Silver hair resting contentedly with shorter purple locks.

* * *

(Author's Note-- There won't always be snippets of converstaion or written stuff from here on out, simply because were catching up to current time now. You'll know when the 'past' section of this story is done. Trust me.)

* * *

It was actually a **very **good thing that the two children and the 'adults' were sleeping in separate areas. Shattering their young, innocent image of grape-juice drinking contests. Because, as you may have guessed, vodka and grape juice are very different things.

And yet again...Amarant had lost to Freya. Only one thought went through his mind as he yet again dragged her up to bed...only to let her sleep off of the floor, of course.

_Where __**does**__ she put it all?_

* * *

Ok, I just spent the last four hours working on re-making the story line, and for those of you still reading, i'll give you this much. There are currently 23 chapters completly planned out, and they just get a quarter of the way into this story...so at the rate its developing, it looks like there'll be about 80 chapters, give or take 5. And at least two sequel stories. I **promise **i'll do a better job at updating...i'm so sorry this took 11 months.

I tried to keep in style of the way I had been writing this story, but with the events going on offline, my style may have been influenced...but this chapter demanded to be written this way. Let me know what you guys think, ok?

Cookies:

**fft4ever**: For you, one in the shape of a black mage hat. Ginger bread.

**Xanthera**: Peanut butter, sorry its so late...but its warm

**sup3rl0z3r**: you get chocolate chip

**Solark**: TT-TT im sorry i still havent read it...i will get to it eventully! (hands a larger-then-average oreo)

**amimizunfan22**: Peanut butter sugar cookie for you! Thanks for that last feedback. Major self-esteem booster.


	12. Onwards

This Chapter is more filler then anything else...kinda had to push this one. But hey, at least I'm trying, what with outside influences and all. Special thanks go to Shire Folk, for inspiring me with that great KH work...if your reading this, yes, I'm one of your lurkers. Sorry , but I just don't do reviews. Next chapter is scheduled to be up on Saturday...Or as soon as I get 3 reviews. Whichever comes first.

* * *

Onwards!

(to Madin Sari)

_Finaly! I get to go home! After last night, I'm not sure if I'm going back to Alexandria...I might stay with my moogles...But I'd only stay if Vivi stayed too. We mages have to stick together!...and I don't wanna live all by myself. _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

The small purple-haired girl had abandoned her sanctuary that was the sleepy engine room in favor of running up and down the stairs leading to the bridge of this ship. Even after three hours, she kept at it, much to the annoyance of both Freya and Amarant, who were crankier then usual and took turns telling her to 'settle down' and 'stop making so much damn noise'. You can guess who said which.

The boy with the hat sat in the corner away from the front and to the left...no, shes going down stairs again...to the right...up...left...well, in _some _direction of Eiko. He had calmed considerably since the incident the night before, and Eiko had gone back before him to 'report' to their now-legal-guardians. Or as she called them behind their backs, 'Auntie Frey Frey' and 'Unca Ammarant'. There was a silent agreement not to speak of...._things_. And he was currently occupying himself with doing his math homework the long was (double-checking every answer), and refusing to think about..._that_. Besides, he still had a 'puzzle' to finish.

The trip to Madin Sari would take two days, as air traffic was picking up again, and they had to abide by the old laws that were put back up after they had saved the world. _Typical...save the world, and you have to travel at only a quarter of the speed you used to._

His thought was interrupted by an overly-irritated red-head half-yelling at Eiko to stop making so damn much noise, as he had a killer hang-over. Miraciously she stopped for a moment, and looked at him puzzled then said last thing he and his current drinking buddy were expecting to hear. "Whats a hang-over?"

And so for the next seven hours Freya and Amarant were bombarded with questions. Thanks in part to her child-like innocence in _some _things, Eiko was now under the impression that if you mixed grape juice with milk, it made you sick the next day. And because he couldn't really pay attention to math with a hyper-active six-year-old squeaking questions in barely coherent sentences, Vivi believed the same. A moment later he tilted his head to the side, thinking that he had heard something _wark_. _Must be my imagination..._

* * *

**A**ctive **T**ime **E**vent

A small boy wearing a hat nearly as tall as himself is watched by a yellow bird as he climbs the stairs onto the airship. Curious, it tilts its head to the side and quietly warks. The giant metal contraption makes a curious noise and begins to 'absorb' the stairs, so he does the only thing that makes sense to his mind. He jumps onto the disappearing ladder and walks to the nosiest place he can find. After all, engine rooms are warm...and the noise somehow reminds him of two others that looked like the boy.

* * *

Hours pass. It's Amarant's turn to cook...and as usual, everyone decides to take a pass on dinner. after all, Vivi and Eiko really need to work on their homework...and Freya finally finds a use for her hangover. A few hours later they land the ship at the village near Eiko's home, just to re-fuel...Nothing at all to do with the fact that half of the sleeping quarters is covered with cleaning product and vomit. Nothing to do with the fact that everyone wanted a clean bed either. Nothing at all.

Eiko giggle slightly under her breathe. Nothing at all. The nice hot bath didn't have anything to do with it either.

* * *

Feedback on the current writing style please? (poll on profile) (Solark, I swear to you, I WILL read your story, AND for a short time, break my lurker status to review...after I get this story going again. And with my recently restored motivation, and lack of writer's block(having chapters planned out in advance works wonders for it), that should only be a week or two.)

Cookies go out to _GoonlaLagoon(who was the first to review, a mere two hours after I (finally) updated)_, and sup3rl0z3r (its great to see that someone is actually _still _reading this). Next chapter should be up by monday or tuesday...reviews please?


	13. Madin Sari

Of course, I couldn't do something terrible to Vivi without doing something in return to Eiko...but to give her a wonderful reunion and rub salt into Vivi's recently wounded heart, or pass some of that onto her, or something else entirely? You'll soon find out, just follow those little lines down there. (more journal entries means yes, they're still in the past. How far? You'll see soon. Maybe. I digress...)

* * *

Madin Sari

_Of all the ideas that ran through my mind, this one never played...Eiko...why does it seem the situations we go through are either mirror opposites or reflections off of that same mirror? -_Entry from the journal of Vivi Ornitier

Vivi fought to keep himself from laughing most of the way down the mountain path. Eiko, true to her six-year-old-self, was hop-skip-dancing her way down the path barely looking where she was going. Due to the lack of Mist being produced, there were almost no monsters in this area now. Still, he found himself shooting off a Fira now and again. With the abilities everyone had gained along the journey, nothing more was required...and more often then not just that simple spell was more then a bit of overkill. Freya and Amarant walked slightly behind Vivi, while Eiko continued her prancing in front of him. After the half way point, she began singing a seemingly random string of _la-la-las_, and Vivi found himself smiling in spite of himself, and became lost in thought as he remembered his days with his gradnfather, Quan.

Behind the two young mages, Freya and Amarant were quietly debating the usual topic. The winner. Carefully monitoring her tone and watching the kids out of the corner of her eye, Freya began hissing under her breath.

"I thought we agreed, best two out of three!"

"...Five out of Seven."

"Oh, come _on_! I beat you fair and square, _twice_, and you know it!"

"Well, if your scared of losing...:

"FINE! Have it your way! I'll kick your as-"

Movement seen from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she suddenly realized that though she had started out quietly, she had slowly been gaining volume...and had nearly shouted the last line at the top pf her lungs in a shriek, judging from the look on Eiko's face, and Vivi's eyes. Eiko had stopped in her tracks in a position that seemed to defy gravity, her arms paused in a swing with one leg in the air tucked in slightly and tip-toed on the other, as if in mid-twirl...which was more then likely, considering the child in question. Vivi was in a much more probable pause, as he had simply turned his head in the direction of the near-hysterical Freya.

As an awkward silence began to descend upon the group, Eiko put to use what was considered by all who had traveled with her to be her best talent. Being a distraction. A wind blew slightly, and the delicate balance between her and gravity was altered, causing her to slip. Rather then falling however, she simply continued her twirl, then began her sing-song-dance down the path again.

Vivi giggled quietly. _Eiko, the breaker of awkward silences, strikes again._

* * *

_Home...Where is my home now? Alexandria Castle with Dagger?...Madin Sari with-- _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol.

Ten minutes after the breaker of awkward silences struck, Madin Sari came into view. Eiko ran into the center of the village and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"I'm home!!!...hello?" After all of five seconds she kicked at the ground and raised a puff of dust. "Some welcome...glad to see you guys missed me too..." Vivi walked up to Eiko while Freya and Amarant stayed at the edge of the village, debating their next contest.

"M-maybe they're sleeping?" _Not that anyone could sleep through those lungs..._

"I've been gone for almost five months!"

"W-why don't we check your house?"

Grumbling slightly, Eiko started walking over to the house she had been born in with Vivi two steps behind her. In front of her house, she cupped her hand around her mouth again.

"Morrison! Moco! Momatose! Chimomo! Mocha!...Guys?" She hung her head "...Don't you guys miss me?"

"Maybe their asleep...?"

"Only one way to find out I guess."

Four and a half months had passed since Eiko left Madin Sari with Zidane. And yet the house was covered with enough dust that it could have been empty for years.

"Wha-what...?...Morrison would never let this happen...hes a neat-freak...so what..." _The wall..._

Eiko turned around and took off, bumping into Vivi in her haste and knocking him to the floor.

* * *

Freya looked up when she saw a pink and yellow blur running from Eiko's house to the path leading to the Eidolon wall. A moment later Vivi appeared, going the same direction. She glanced at Amarant who gave a small nod, and they took off after Vivi.

* * *

Every day since before she could remember, Eiko had come down to the wall, lit the incense, and prayed. Now she sat down in the dust where she had once placed the incense. The wall, if it could still be called that, was now truly in ruins. The largest pieces were no bigger then Eiko's tiny fists. Other then those small chunks of rock, everything was either dust or blown away. "Its...gone..."

Vivi, not looking where he was going, tripped over one of the small rocks. Freya and Amarant, who were still running after him, were forced to jump over him. As Freya cleared his head, he cautiously sat up, then stood after Amarant went sailing over him as well, and walked over to sit next to Eiko.

"sniffsniff..I never should have Grandpa told me not to leave until I was sniff sixteen...and now...sniffMorrison...Moco...Momatose...sniffChimomo...Mocha...snif...f"

* * *

Some time later, back on the airship

"...how's the brat?"

"Vivi said shes shut herself up in the main engine room."

"Kid keeping an eye on her?"

"More like an ear, but I suppose you could say that..."

"...Rematch?"

"Your on."

"Eiko!...Please let me in..."

"..."

"Eiko..."

* * *

Oops...This was supposed to go up yesterday, but...well...this chapter really didn't want to be written. Next one should be up Wednesday or Thursday...I'll do some work on it tonight, but I have to go to sleep a little earlier then usual, since I have to try to get a job at K-mart in about hours...stupid Krap-mart... Anywho, don't forget to review...you'll get cookies. Nice, hot, imaginary cookies. Next chapter brings us back to Alexandria.

And the plate of cookies goes to GoonlaLagoon


	14. Vacation's' Over

Grah, I'm already starting to fall behind on updating...and this is more of a filler chapter then anything else...oh well, at least I know exactly whats going on for the next 17 chapters and where this story is headed now...Bear with me guys, I'm in the middle of finding a job and trying to get my life somewhat in order. The next 3-4 chapters look like they'll be coming in somewhat slowly, but 18-21 look better. Anyways, heres Chapter 14. Enjoy.

* * *

'Vacation's' Over

[**A**ctive **T**ime **E**vent]

[Khew?]

Amarant and Freya left the bridge and walked towards the engine room.

Amarant "...Where's the brat?"

Freya "She had Vivi take her back to her house to pack up some old things."

A noise from the engine room startled Freya, and she jumped back, bumping into Amarant.

Amarant "...Khew?"

Freya and Amarant looked at each other, nodded, ran into the engine room, and were promptly knocked over onto the ground by Bobby Corwin.

* * *

Vivi carefully packed Eiko's books as she moped in her storage unit in the room below and to the left of him, hoping that she was actually packing and not just moping. After several hours of going through possessions, the two mages left Madian Sari, and began the trip back to Alexandria. As soon as they reached the ship, Eiko went to the engine room to sulk, while Vivi went to the bridge to find Freya and Amarant. _Some vacation this turned out to be..._

* * *

_I can't always depend on someone coming to my rescue. You might not be coming to save me anymore..._-Entry from Royal Diary of Queen Garnet Alexandros 17

The queen of Alexandria was now into her second month of pregnancy, but due to her wishes, none other then herself and her doctor knew. And out of the denial stage, if the bags under her eyes were the judge of anything...though those could be due in part to a slight lack of sleep from overseeing reconstruction and morning sickness. However, distractions could only help her at the moment. When she was busy, she didn't have to think. And her days left little time for thinking now. The paper work kept piling up, as nearly every citizen in her queendom who was over the age of six and younger then sixty had decided to join under either General Beatrix or General Steiner. The few who had been turned away had been strictly out of necessity, as if they were accepted there would be no one to run their shops.

Most of the children who had been accepted were either running errands or helping with easier tasks in the rebuilding process, as were the elderly who would not take no as an answer. But no one could deny the upside to everyone pulling together, reconstruction was advancing nearly twice as quickly as expected, and the population was beginning to make a come back as well, though the numbers would have to be re-done once the refugees had recovered enough to begin work on their own homes.

Sighing as she sat down to another day of paper work, Garnet ticked another day off of her calander. Glancing at it again told her that the days had flown by more quickly then expected. _Vivi and Eiko will be home tomorrow...I hope Amarant hasn't expanded Eiko's vocabulary..._

* * *

While the ship was refueling near Treno, Vivi walked into the engine room to find Eiko curled up against Bobby Corwin. For a moment, he wasn't sure weither he was more surprised to see the chocobo, or that Eiko's cover-alls were the same exact color as the six-month-old bird. Then he remembered why Eiko was there in the first place.

A few hours later he found himself sitting at his usual place on the bridge, lost again in thought, but not in the usual way. Instead of thinking about existence, or lack of, which he usually did, his thoughts were focused on Eiko. If she, the cheerful one, was depressed, what hope was there for the rest of them? Garnet was already on the brink because of Zidane, and Freya because of Fratley...Out of all of them, Eiko was the only one who had still been acting like her usual self. He hung his head as the ship took off for the short trip remaining. What hope was left for him if the other side of his coin wore the same dark mood?

* * *

Why didn't any of you tell me I've been saying Madin Sari instead of Madian Sari??? Writting this story is almost starting to feel bi-polar now...  
*sets down a plate full of cookies for GoonlaLagoon and sup3rl0z3r  
I'll try to get the next one up tomorrow night, or sunday...stupid writer's block


	15. Home Bitter Home

There's some semi-important info about this story on the bottom of my profile, check it out when you get a chance...Sorry, but this is the second filler chapter in a row. The next one should get the ball rolling again though...And sorry it's late, I had a really hard time writing this chapter (I hope it doesn't show too much). I'll try to have the next one up on schedule, that's at the bottom of my profile as well.

* * *

Home Bitter Home

_I think I'm the only one who saw it because everyone else was too busy...Garnet with being queen, Steiner and Beatrix with the new recruits, Freya and Amarant with their contest...if they had seen it back then, would it have changed anything? _-Entry from journal of Vivi Ornitier

As soon as the ship landed in Alexandria, Eiko headed to the docks that led to the castle, and Bobby Corwin took off, running away from all the noises of the busy city. Judging from the direction he was headed, Vivi decided he was running to the chocobo forest. A few moments later, Freya and Amarant went in the same direction as Eiko, to let the queen know how the trip had gone. Vivi started to follow them, but was bumped into by a small girl in a yellow dress.

"Wow mister, you got all the way to 100..."

After an hour of playing jump rope with the three girls he had made friends with on his first visit to Alexandria, Vivi beat his old record and decided it was time to head back.

"Bye-bye mister Vivi!"

* * *

_Why do I feel so strange?...What...is this...No...I don't need anyone to worry over me, they all have their own problems...Time to play the part Eiko _-Entry from Diary of Eiko Carol

Eiko lay on her stomach, trying to get comfortable on her bed. "I barely got any homework done...and theres only three days left until it's due...some break." She rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling "I wonder where they went..." Then rolled back onto her stomach "Maybe I should just do my homework..."

* * *

"I see...so it was bad news on both ends..."

"So it appears."

"What will you and Amarant do now? Your more then welcome to stay here at the castle of course."

"Hm...I think I'll take you up on that offer for now. I'm not needed in Bermucia at the moment."

"What about you Amarant?"

"I don't have anything better to do...Besides, I've got a score to settle with someone."

[Two Hours Later]

"I don't know what your talking about...theres no schore to shettle..."

"...It's three to one...theres pleanty to settle."

"Sore loser."

"...Lightweight."

[Three Hours Later]

"...Two to three now rat..." _Win or lose, I always end up ragging you to your room afterwards...Maybe it's the booze, but you look almost cute when your moth isn't yapping..._

* * *

After waiting half an hour for he boat to return, Vivi walked up to Eiko's room and knocked quietly on her door.

"Eiko?...Can I come in?"

"...Vivi?' The door opened a crack

"Um...I'm kinda busy right now, I didn't really get any homework done while we were gone, and yeah...so...I'll see you later, ok?" She closed the door before he could get another word out.

With a sigh, Vivi turned around and walked to his own room. "Bye Eiko..."

After closing the door behind him, Vivi decided that Eiko had the right idea. After all, she wasn't the only one who hadn't finished her homework on their vacation. After getting his work out, he added a note onto his homework, so that he wouldn't forget to ask when school began again in three days.

_If your fishes up, does that make you a fish?_

* * *

Again, sorry it's late, and more filler...and short...But it's great to see so many reviewers! Thanks you guys!

Cookies go to fft4ever, Xanthera, sup3rl0z3r, EternalSong13, GoonlaLagoon, and blogart. Thanks for the reviews, enjoy your cookies!


	16. NOT A CHAPTERIMPORTANT UPDATE

Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of my control, AWWY is on hold for an indeterminable amount of time.

The outline for the story is located on a computer upon which I currently have no access to, and as I have no wish to attempt to re-write it, as I am positive I would alter the storyline and come up with the wrong story, I must put it on hold.

Also, on a personal note, I am sorry. While I will be doing quite a bit of writing in the next few weeks, none of it will be for AWWY. I am going into the hospital for chemotherapy. I was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia, and will be on bedrest.

Should I find myself unable to ever continue the story, motions have been put in place for the plotline to be uploaded. I promise all of you that the story will not be a mystery, should I fail in my fight with cancer.

Once I recover my computer, I shall update this story once more, and get back on writing with it. For now, please, ignore my terrible slacking. The writing I will upload is my stress relief, so please, no griping.

Thank you all, faithful readers.

~Sone


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